Wednesday, December 28, 2011

FLOWER MUSIC FANTASY

                                 I was going through my photos today and found this one from March. These
azaleas bloom every March here in Houston. The parts of the flower remind me of musical notes on a staff. I like the way they repeat on the flowers behind the front one. It has a nice rhythm.
For more, visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/                                  David/ :-)

Friday, December 23, 2011

QUIET MOMENT

Way out in the country, in the little Danish farm community of Danevang, Texas, we celebrate Christmas together at the community center.
There are lots of people there dancing around the Christmas tree and singing. If we stomp our feet, Santa will come!
On that night, I always go outside for a moment to be alone by this window.
I come from a place with 70 people and now live in a city of 2.6 million.
It's nice to go back to the country.
.... there are stars floating by on this quiet night.

For more, see Dragonstar, our host throughout the year,


Merry Christmas!
David/

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

TWO BIRDS & A LINE

Daddy bird and Mama bird are in a parking lot.
What are they saying? Let's imagine:

Dad: "Honey, what's this LINE doing here? "
Mom: "Line? Line? Who cares about a line! There's car coming right at us!"

david/  :-)

Monday, December 19, 2011

THISTLE GEOMETRY


I love finding designs in Nature. So much detail in a single plant. Why?
This one was on the sand bar along the Colorado River in Wharton County, Texas

Sunday, December 18, 2011

BACK TO MY HOME ALONG THE RIVER


Long ago, I passed this river everyday on my way to school. It is like an old friend and I've finally had a chance to return for a photo.
David/ :-)
The Colorado River near Wharton, Texas

Thursday, December 15, 2011

BRASS HORN



Example of music from this instrument (this is not me~I just wish I sounded half this good) :

and another masterpiece if you want to hear more:

It's not as popular here in America as in Europe, but I'm part of a brass band. We play each Christmas and I love it. This is a detail of my Euphonium. The most famous Euphonium players are in England and I'm quite a fan. To see some visual music, tune in to our host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by.
David/ :-)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

ABSTRACT EXCITEMENT!

I'm going to be a bit mysterious this time and let you guess what this is.
It's filled with EXCITEMENT!
For more excitement, visit our super host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by!
Oh...and the answer is below. Please scroll down a bit.
















Merry Christmas!
David/ :-)

Thursday, December 1, 2011

IN A SINGLE NIGHT





Sansevieria subspicata

This is from my garden and tonight the flowers all bloomed at the same time. As with many night blooming species, the fragrance was so overpowering (in a bad way!) that we had to take it outdoors.
For more surprises (in a good way), visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by!
David/ :-)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

MIRABILIS

Mirabilis means miracle in Spanish.
This is a seed from one of the plants in my garden. It's called a Four O'Clock, but its Latin name is Mirabilis jalapa. To a gardener, a seed is always miraculous. I like this photo because the natural light in the garden gave the leaves and seed a glowing effect. It was a nice surprise. Photography is full of surprises, isn't it?
For more surprises, visit our wonderful host, Dragonstart, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
David/ :-)

Sunday, November 20, 2011

HOT PEPPERS & A TOMATILLO

I really enjoyed taking this one. I was attracted to the shine of the peppers and the unusual features of the tomatillo.
The tomatillo (round fruit) is used here in Texas and in Mexico for green chili sauces.
The serrano peppers are even hotter than our usual jalapeno peppers.
You can tell Houston cooking is highly influenced by the spices of Mexico.
For more spicy photos, visit our host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by. David/ :-)

Friday, November 11, 2011

PATHWAY

I was fascinated by this vine arbor at a Christian retreat center in Round Top, Texas. It was the only way into this beautiful garden.
In a way, it reminded me of the old covered bridges you see up in rural New England or Ohio.
To journey through more black and white photos, visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
David/ :-)

Friday, November 4, 2011

CRYSTAL CLEAR

The cold weather this week reminded me of the rare ice storm we had last winter. This is a milkweed pod from my garden with a topping of ice. The air was crystal clear that morning and the wind perfectly still, so this little image turned out quite sharp and I was pleased.
For more sharp photos and very sharp photographers, visit our gracious host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
David/ :-) Houston B&W

Sunday, October 30, 2011

WEDDING RING

It's our anniversary this week and Melanie & I have been married 28 years. I struggled with this photo and retook it over 20 times at different angles. The photo is just like marriage. In the same way, we have to work at it all the time. It's not giving to each other 50%-50%, but instead 100%/100%. We're happy and we face our problems together as one.
Visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/ for more black and white wonders!

David & Melanie :-)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

FEATHER


This is from one of our 5 chickens. It's interesting how different feathers can look when magnified.
For more photos, visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
Enjoy the weekend.

David/ :-)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

JUST FOR FUN ~ LAUGH IN BLACK & WHITE

I'm taking a break this week from a 'serious' post to bring you this!
This was on a row filled with only black and white objects. It was quite fun to snap a black and white photo of a black and white display.
I had to laugh. :-)



Black & White, Black & White....I felt so at home on this aisle!
For more fun-filled fotography, visit our gracious host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
Happy Weekend.
David :-)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

THE UKULELE PLAYER

Our younger son, Alex, is quite the musician. To most older people like myself, the ukulele is just a toy.
But as I've listened and learned I now know that it is a serious musical instrument capable of the most beautiful music.
I wish I could include a music clip of my son's ukulele music, but I'm not quite there on embedding such things.
Instead, I can include a clip of the most famous of all ukulele players; IZ of Hawaii singing and playing on a white sandy beach.
Maybe you could play it while you visit our most gracious host Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
Thanks! David/ :-)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

DANCING STORM CLOUDS

"The Light and the Dark"
I picked this one because of all the various shades of fractocumulus clouds and their ballet of movement.
The storms all across the state this week are giving us hope that the drought might be losing its long, powerful grip.

"The Scout Clouds"
I picked these for their ominous tone against those wispy white upper clouds.

Scout Clouds are the low set of clouds that rush along the front of a storm.
This storm swept through Katy,Texas bringing hail and 60mph winds.

For more photos that 'dance' their way into our group, visit our gracious host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

David/ :-)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

The last moments of twilight on a small pond in Jacksonville, Texas this past summer.
David/ :-)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

THE SEED

On its way to a new beginning...

To get a grasp on more fine photos, visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by.
David/ :-)

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

SIGNS

They're not the scary kind from the sci-fi thriller, just some artsy signs outside the Menil Collection
here in Houston, Texas

For more 'signs' of beautiful photography, visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by.
David/ :-)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

ABSTRACTION: PATTERNS ON THE WALL

"Patterns On the Wall"

It's rare that an abstract photo haunts me, but the tonal range and movement and textures all converged on our living room wall one afternoon. I tried to put an empty frame around it, but by the time I got back, it was gone.
For more off the wall photos, or in my case ON the wall photos, visit our gracious host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by. David/ :-)

Thursday, September 1, 2011

SOMEBODY WAS HUNGRY


I found this leaf on the sidewalk just blowing around.
Life is full of surprises. :-)


For more wild shots, visit our host Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Thursday, August 25, 2011

ROYERS CAFE

Doesn't this look like a fun place to eat? It's in tiny Round Top, Texas. I've been by dozens of times and can you believe I've never been inside! The food is supposed to be seriously delicious.
For more delicious morsels of the visual kind, visit our host Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by.
David/ :-)

Friday, August 19, 2011

CRACK IN THE DOOR

I was the last one out of the planning room at school and in the dark. I didn't mind; there were over 80 kindergarteners on the other side!
I turned the image on the side because I couldn't resist the laser look. Notice the one piece of popcorn on the floor.

For more creative images, walk through the door to Dragonstar, our host. She's waiting for you! :-)

Thursday, August 11, 2011

DROUGHT

It's impossible to show the misery associated with a drought. Here in Texas, there are untold numbers of farmers selling off their cattle, deciding to plow up their fields, or watching their small pond dry up.

We were one of those that had one or two extra rainfalls this year and managed to make a cotton crop. We have an excellent farmer that manages our farm with careful soil & water conservation in mind. This is our farm in Danevang, Texas. We called this year the miracle year.

For more stories through photos, visit our host Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

David/

Friday, August 5, 2011

JUST FOR FUN ~ I'M ' WORKING' ON THIS PICTURE

I guess what I'm working on is this: if you take a nice photo of a painting, is it now a photo or is still a painting? Maybe it's not as black and white as I suppose. Perhaps it's in that gray area. This is from the McNay Museum of Modern Art in San Antonio. 

Inside the galleries
"Geometry"
I especially enjoy this one since it was by a pane of windows. Capturing the windows behind this 'see through' art makes it even more 3 dimensional. This was my favorite to photograph.

The outside of the museum

Finally some surrealism: Waiting across from my wife  and the decapitated art guard.

I was so impressed with the place, I've made a tab at the top of my photo blog. Please go take a look. It was quite refreshing to find that this museum allows photography (no flash) in all of its permanent collections. The geometry of the 1920s is still fresh and exciting. To find more excitement, visit our host, Dragonstar at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

David/ :-)

Friday, July 29, 2011

FLOATING DUCKWEED

It's not the easiest thing to capture. The camera wants to focus on everything BUT the tiny duckweed.
I liked the rhythm & diagonal movement on top of the water. This is our garden pond while it was raining here in Houston.
Hope you can float on over to our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by. David/ :-)

Friday, July 22, 2011

Meadow With Rocks

Garden of the Gods ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado
These red sandstone megaliths are upwards of 100 feet tall.  I love the texture of the grass with the dark junipers and jagged rocks etching the sky. To see more cool, calm, and colorful..better than colorful images, visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by. David/ :-)

Thursday, July 14, 2011

PASSION FLOWER


Our most dramatic native flower, passion vine grows along fences here in Texas. When you come up on one suddenly, the thought occurs that this must be an alien life form.
For more surprises, visit our gracious host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com

David/ :-)

Thursday, July 7, 2011

THE LAST TOMATO


A very famous photographer once said, "If you don't like surprises, you should never be a photographer."
That's true of this photo. On a simple trip to the kitchen I saw this luxurious vine. Have you ever had something beg to have its picture taken?
Visit Dragonstar at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/ to see photographers and the fruits of their labors.   Thanks.    David/ Houston B&W :-)

Thursday, June 30, 2011

FORBIDDEN PLANET


This is brain coral from my classroom. As I set it up, it looked much like an alien landscape. To visit the wonderful world of photography, zoom over to our out of this world host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

By the way, I got the title from the 1956 sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet, still a classic worth viewing for all you die hard sci-fi fans. Thanks for visiting. David/ :-)

Thursday, June 23, 2011

FAMILY CAT

This is our family cat, Pepper, held by wife Melanie. I caught him at just the right moment before he jumped to the floor.
For more fun, visit Dragonstar at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by. David/ :-)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

THE WALL



  This giant wall and roof  had all the right elements for a nice shot in our museum district. The fine foliage textures juxtaposed with the solid wall; the dark to light to dark elements; the sun rays all moving towards my son, Alex, and his friend are reasons to add this photo to this week's Weekend in Black & White. Plus, it's Father's Day so I thought it would be nice to include one of my two sons in a picture.
To see more, visit our wonderful host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by.
David/ :-)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

AFTER THE FEAST

Painters of long ago had such a fascination with painting tables filled with food. After my best friend's 30th wedding anniversary, I was drawn to this table next to the window. The diffused lighting made the whole scene almost surreal. It's more about the shapes than what makes up the shapes.
And don't worry...they bagged up all these grilled veggies and took them home afterwards with nothing wasted.
Ready for more of a feast? Then visit our host, Dragonstar, at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/ and feast your eyes on monochromes from all over the globe.
Thanks for stopping by.
David/ :-)

Thursday, June 2, 2011

M.C. Escher Reflections

I was inspired by a little book filled with M.C. Escher (1898-1972) woodcuts. He loved to play with perspective much to the delight of his viewers. This photo is unremarkable until turned upside-down. Then it becomes a visual pun as the trees appear to go up a hill. Study the photo for awhile and you'll see what I mean....the reflection is on the top.  Hope you like it.
To see more, visit our host, Dragonstar at http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by or by for stopping Thanks.
David/ :-)

Here's the book jacket. It's a small pocket-sized book with lithographs & woodcuts.